1/30/07

How Heavy is Regret?

"We suffer from one of two things. Either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces and regret weighs tons." -Jim Rohn

Sometimes that hardest thing is to follow through with our resolutions. We may start out setting well-intentioned goals and soon we find ourselves back in the same old patterns. It's certainly much easier to stay in your comfort zone than to step out of the box and change certain behaviors.

Most of us are so busy that we don't even know when we would find the time to make these necessary but dreaded changes. After all, we work so hard, that it's pleasure we seek, not more work. The irony of it is; if you take the time and make the effort now to achieve what you want, ultimately it is pleasure that you will experience.

On the other hand, if you hold onto the limiting belief, that change takes to much effort, then guess what, you will continue to live with behaviors that will only keep you stuck right where you are today. And, instead of experiencing increased wealth, health, love, etc., you're pleasure seeking mission of staying the same and not upsetting the apple cart, will guarantee you looking back one day with regrets.

If there is something in life that you are not experiencing and you would really like to, then the only way to get yourself from here to there is to take some kind of action. Even if you start small, by doing something everyday to reach your intended goal, it will eventually snowball into actions that result in experiencing the pleasures you desire.

Discipline is nothing more than making a decision and sticking with it. If you want something bad enough, keep the end result in mind and keep moving in the direction of where you want to go. If you happen to fall off the wagon, just get back on it. By doing something each day that will bring you closer to your goals, you will strengthen your patterns, until eventually they become a habit.

By starting something and not following through, it reinforces the old and familiar, it keeps you stuck in a rut and six months or a year down the road, you'll wish you had taken the steps to achieve what you wanted. But, since you didn't, you're now faced with deciding once again if you will make the commitment to yourself to do what it takes to get what you want or just learn to be happy with the way things are.

Isn't better to push through the pain of creating a new habit and suffer for a little while--rather than a lifetime?

All of our choices come with consequences. You already know what the consequence is to stay the same, now you have to weigh if it's worth making the effort to make a change and live the life you've always desired. It's your choice!

Source: articlestree

The Hidden Perils Of Discount Online Stock Trading

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is Unfortunately, that tired old cliche` applies to an alarming number of discount online stock trading brokerage operations not only in the US, but throughout the trading world.

Don`t get me wrong. It`s not that these discount online stock trading brokers are all bad. Quite the contrary. In fact, there are as many discount online stock trading brokers in America today as there are dollar stores! Furthermore, most of them provide an excellent service. TD Ameritrade and eTrade are two fine examples of this.

However, it`s not the service provided by these discount online stock trading brokers that is being called into question; it`s the raft of hidden fees and charges that are causing the real problems.

For example, while ethical market players like TD Ameritrade charge you just US$9.99 per trade on a minimum US$2,000 account, with no monthly fees to pay, many other online brokers will charge you up to 100% or more for the same service! Some of them will even sting you for a penalty fee if your monthly account balance falls below a prescribed minimum levelor if you don`t make a certain number of trades each month!

So, what`s the message here, fellow online traders?

READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU START!

How else can you check the credentials of a discount online stock trading broker?

At Investing Online, you`ll find a comprehensive online resource centre created by the North American Securities Administrators Association.

Initially launched in 1999, this superb resource centre was established for the sole purpose of aiding the individual online investor through a combination of education and training. They`ll teach you everything from: how to set up an online account; how to lodge a complaint with the Online Complaint Centre; how to check out your online broker or advisor; how to determine the real cost of day trading; how to obtain the best online stock trading resources on the web; how to avoid getting burned by fraudulent online brokers; how to spot the hype; how to obtain independent ratings and rankings of online brokerage firmsthrough to helping you understand how a margin account works!

It doesn`t stop there, either. For those of you who are really new to discount online stock trading, you`ll even be able to take an online tour through Investing Online`s investing simulator and trust me, it`s well worth the experience, and no, it`s not a downloadable demo it`s quite different from anything you`ve seen before.

These guys REALLY know their stuff, and you owe it to yourself to go check out their site. Honestly, it could end up saving you a lot of heartache and a lot of hard earned cash, later on.

How do you avoid discount online stock trading scams?

Good question! Since 2002, the SEC has announced action taken in almost 50 internet related stock trading scams and they openly admit that that figure is just the tip of the ice berg!

Be warned!

Be especially wary of unsolicited email and message boards talking up the price of a stock. Don`t pay any attention to hype of this nature as you can bet your bottom dollar that it`s most likely the latest scam artist looking to 'relieve` you of your money!

Is discount online stock trading really worth the risk?

Absolutely! It`s a wonderfully enjoyable, cost efficient means of generating big stock trading profits as long as you keep your eyes open, do your homework and get to know who you`re dealing with BEFORE funding your account.

Source: articlestree

5 Tips For Drop Dead Praise

People blossom on praise. Though all of us need praise to help make us feel great about ourselves, you can't praise people arbitrarily: Praise should be reserved for endeavors worthy of singular acknowledgment. So, how do you deal with folks who rarely do anything rather praiseworthy?

My pal Minnie faced this situation in her team of clerks at work. Several lazy clerks had the outlook that, as long as they fulfilled their quotas, they were okay. Praising them for hitting quotas only toughened their belief that nothing more was expected of them. Censure of their failure to exceed the quota was met with the response "I'm simply doing my job."

Minnie decided to try positive reinforcement. She gave one of the operators an extraordinary project for which no production quota had been set. When the duty was completed, Minnie praised the employee's fine work. She pursued this practice with novel assignments and ultimately enjoyed the opportunity to earnestly praise each of the clerks.

Now, while praise can motivate people in a twinkling, it doesn't always work. Some manager praise every trifling activity, diminishing the value of praise for real accomplishments. Others sprinkle praise in such a way that it appears fake. To make your praise more meaningful, follow these tips:

1. Never overdo it. Praise is saccharine. Rockcandy is sweet, too, but the more you gorge, the less tasty each piece becomes, and you may get a tummy upset. Liberal praise reduces the benefit that's derived from each bite of praise; if it's overcooked, it loses its value forever.

2. Always be earnest. You can't fake sincerity. You must really believe that what you are praising your associate for is actually admirable. If you don't trust it yourself, neither will your colleague.

3. Follow the rule of specificity. Rather than smile, "Great work!" it's much better to say, "The task you accomplished on the XXX project enabled me to recognize more clearly the complexities of the issue."

4. Solicit for your colleague's advice. Nothing can be more flattering than to be asked for advice about how to ease a problem. This approach can backfire nonetheless, if you don't heed the advice. If you have to rebuff advice, ask people questions about their deficient proposals until they see the error of their ways and reissue sound advice.

5. Always publicize praise. Just as a chastise should always be doled in private, praising should be trumpeted (whenever possible) in public. Sometimes the theme for which praise is given is a private matter, but it's more often suitable to let your entire group in on the praise. If other colleagues are conscious of the praise you give a subordinate, it urges them to work for similar recognition.

Article source: abcarticledirectory